Authorities to reopen 1974 Bay St. Louis murder case

An FBI sketch from 1974 of the suspect in the Mary Ann Farve case.(Photo: FBI)

BAY ST. LOUIS (AP) — Hancock County authorities are reopening the 40-year-old kidnapping and murder case of 15-year-old Mary Ann Farve, a Bay St. Louis teen who was abducted on April 22, 1974.

Authorities say Farve was riding her bike from her home in Bay St. Louis to bring her sister to school about a mile away. Her sister made it to school, but Farve never returned home.

Her body was found in January 1975 in a field near the Discovery Bay subdivision in Pass Christian. She had been shot in the head. The FBI released a sketch in 1974 of a man seen by witnesses near where Farve went missing but no one was ever arrested.

Sheriff Ricky Adams says authorities in Bay St. Louis, Harrison County and the FBI will join the investigation.

"It is an unsolved crime and one of the most heinous ones in the history of our county," Adam said Thursday at a news conference. "It is our duty and obligation to locate this killer, whether he is dead or alive. This young lady and her family deserve closure."

Staryln Mitchell lived near Farve and remembered asking her mother if she could go with Farve that day.

"My mom didn't want me walking while she was riding the bike so I didn't go that day," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the crime shook the entire Bay St. Louis community.

"I remember it being very scary and very upsetting especially when they couldn't find her and everybody was crying and upset especially her parents, they were very upset," she said.

Adams said the original notes from the case were lost during Hurricane Katrina. He has asked the FBI to see if they still have any files or evidence. Meanwhile, coast investigators have started interviewing people.

There is no statute of limitations on kidnapping or murder in Mississippi.

Adam said he hopes someone will come forward with information that will lead them to the kidnapper-killer.

"It's hard for somebody to keep that a secret for 40 years," he said. "He bragged about it somewhere along the line."